1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved apparatus for treating cement or other flooring surfaces having a frame, a handle on the frame, an internal combustion engine on the frame and a rotary finishing means on the frame powered by the engine. Wherein the improvement includes having a pressurization means to pressurize a fluid tank with pressure supplied by an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine and a control and nozzle means to direct the flow of the fluid.
2. Description of the Related Art
Finishing concrete, terrazzo or other flooring surfaces is arduous work which must be completed before the surfacing material dries. As the surfacing material begins to dry, the smoothing or trowelling effort becomes more difficult. In order to facilitate the operation and to permit the finisher to prepare a larger area of surface, motorized masonry trowels have been introduced.
These machines are usually powered by small internal combustion engines and have three or four rotating blade-like trowels which contact the moist pliable surfacing material. The rotating trowels aid in smoothing the surface of the surfacing material. A finisher is presented with rapidly charging surface conditions as the material begins to dry. In order to obtain a smooth surface, the finisher must work quickly before the surface dries. Weight and balance of the trowelling device is often crucial to smooth surface and to reduce the exertion of the operator.
In order to keep the surface moist and pliable longer, water is often added to water soluble materials to give the operator more time to smooth the surface while the surface is still moist and pliable. One difficulty encountered is that the rotating trowel device described above often takes both hands to operate it as it is directed about the surface. A second person is often required to distribute water about the surface to aid the trowel operator. This method often does not promote even distribution of the water on the surface to be smoothed and requires the trowel operator to divide his attention between the trowel and supervision of the water distribution person often to the detriment of the smoothness of the surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,109,933 to issued to F. P. Sloan on Mar. 1, 1938 describes a machine for smoothing floors with a tank placed over the engine with gravity feed of the water falling on the disk. U.S. Pat. No. 2,181,375 issued to C. A. Leistner, et al. on Nov. 28, 1939 for a finishing device has a tank on a frame around the engine and has an air compressor to pressurize the tank. U.S. Pat. No. 2,869,442 to J. M. Mincher on Jan. 20, 1959 describes a floating trowelling machine upon which the user sits. The machine has a gravity fed water system. U.S. Pat. No. 3,361,044 to C. R. Wolf, et al. on Jan. 2, 1968 for a cement finishing apparatus provides a doughnut-shaped water tank with the water pressurized by a water pump and controlled by a single valve. U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,885 to J. O. Danielsson on Aug. 5, 1969 shows a concrete aggregate exposing apparatus onto which a water hose is connected. The device is rotary brusher that moistens the surface to expose and sweep the cement and sand on the surface into a receptacle to roughen the surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,297 to Wyllie T. Gipson was issued on May 25, 1982 for a water spray attachment describes a device that includes a hang pump to pressurize the water tank. These devices are difficult to handle and do not place a uniform spray on the surface being prepared. The present apparatus also allows the operator to select a widely varied amount of spray water upon the surface without taxing the strength of the operator.